Q&A

By C. CLAIBORNE RAY

Published: October 10, 1995

Deadly Oleander

Q. How poisonous is oleander?

A. "It is extremely toxic," said Dr. Larry J. Thompson, a clinical toxicologist in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y."It is one of the most toxic plants on anyone's list."

Dr. Thompson said that even a few leaves falling into a small ornamental pool could poison a dog who lapped water from the pool.

All parts of the plant are considered toxic, he said, with the seeds usually the most toxic, the leaves a little less and the flowers least, but still dangerous. Even the stems are dangerous, he said, and there are anecdotal reports of children poisoned by hot dogs roasted over a fire of the stems. Adults have been poisoned by consuming one leaf.

The widely used ornamental bush comes in two species, Nerium oleander, the common pink oleander planted in California in the space dividing Interstate highways, and the yellow oleander, Thevetia peruviana.

Both contain cardioactive glycosides, which are similar in effect to digitalis but much more toxic, Dr. Thompson said. They can be quickly fatal. Besides disrupting the heart function, they cause gastrointestinal symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea.

Extreme care should be taken with oleander plants and trimmings around people or animals, Dr. Thompson said. Well-fed animals will not usually seek out oleander leaves, but some may accept them despite their bitter taste and consume enough to be harmed. Those most at risk would be naive animals new to an area, or perhaps a horse who is attacted to trimmings thrown over the pasture fence.

Perfect Shuffle

Q. What is a perfect shuffle?

A. In a perfect shuffle of a deck of cards, the deck is divided exactly in half and then interleaved so that the cards from the left-hand half of the deck end up in strict alternation with cards from the right-hand half; that is, every other card comes from one side.

A perfect shuffle is far from the perfect way for getting cards in random order for a card game. Dr. Persi Diaconis, a Harvard University statistician, derived a mathematical proof that after eight perfect shuffles, the cards are back in their original order. Luckily for the average bridge or poker player, a perfect shuffle is something only a practiced sleight-of-hand artist can do reliably. C. CLAIBORNE RAY